by flybob » December 8th, 2008, 11:56 am
Doc, the short answer to your question is YES.
Here is some info in plain English.
You may carry a properly registered handgun within any of the S. Cal National Forest Boundaries.
It may be loaded, but it must be properly holstered and in plain sight!
Now, if you decided to shoot it, you better know what you are doing!
And, you have to be careful on HOW you get it into those boundaries, you really need to study your boundaries lines!
There are several areas that are considered PRIVATE Property, in which case the local county laws can apply.
In transiting your firearm, you must make sure that the ammo and the weapon are separated by some distance, i.e. trunk for the gun and ammo in the back seat.
Using the glove box for either, although legal, is considered a no-no, just one of those unspoken rules, and there are many.
The best way is to have everything in a locked case in the trunk, at no time may the weapon be loaded! Even in a locked case in the trunk!
And if you ever get pulled over, you must let the officer know what and where everything is, if you do not, and he sees or finds it, you can be is some serious *.
The bottom line is, legal or not, it is always up to the discretion of the officer, and he is always going to take the conservative approach, he cannot be chastised for impounding your gun even if you were well within your rights! That's just the way it is in the big BLUE State!
IMHO, although I have been an avid shooter since the age of six, and have seen the laws change many times, unless I am going to the range, I just don't move my guns out of the house anymore, just not worth it.
I believe in the buddy system, and will not go into the forest alone, I know that really cramps the quiet time, but that is the way they learned me in the Scouts.
Guns scare the crap out of me, but I respect them and am very adept at using them, I also reload my own ammunition and have developed a few custom formulations/configurations for those "Special Occasions".
Be Safe, be Sane,
Bob
"The accomplishment of flyfishing is all about the experience of diversity......and the occasional element of surprise."
(rmg/2012)